Paper-clip



J. T. DU 8018 AND F. B. HARTER.

PAPE R CLIP. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1920.

1,395,803, Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

JOHN T. DU BOIS AND FRANKB. HARTER, 033 DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

Penna-char.

lessees.

Specification 01" Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. i, rear.

Application filed. September 2%, 1920. Serial No. 411,627.

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that we, JOHN T. DU 1301s and FRANK B.- HARTER, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Clips, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved clip, being particularly designed for use as a paper clip, and has as one o1": its principal objects to provide a device of this character which will firmly grip a number of paper sheets for eff ctively securing the sheets together temporarily or permanently.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip having coacting clamping jaws and wherein the marginal portions of the sheets will be permitted to spread apart behind the jaws for preventing the jaws from slipping or creeping endwise from engagement with the sheets.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a paper clip having spring loops connecting the jaws so that the clamping action of the jaws will be pronounced and wherein said loops willbe so disposed that the loops may be readily grasped for manipulating the clip.

And the invention has a still further object to provide a clip which will be characterized by structural simplicity and which may be readily formed from a single length of material.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter. r

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved clip.

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the device.

Fig. 3 is a section taken medially through the device.

Fig. 4C is an enlarged perspective view of the clip, and i Fig. 5 is an edge elevation showing a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it willbe seen that our improved clip is formed with an inner jaw A and an outer jaw B. The'clip is constructed from a single length of suitable resilient wire looped upon itself at a point substantially midway between its ends to provide the jaw A which, as best seen in Fig. l of the drawing, is formed with straight substantially parallel sides 10. At the inner ends of against the sides 10 of the jaw A. The

jaw B is somewhat longer than the jaw A, the jaws normally lying in a plane common to both thereof and at the outer ends of the sides 12 of the former jaw, the end portions of the length of wire are curved laterally in opposite directions to form the bight or tip of the jaw B. The curved end portions of the wire extend side by side throughout their entire length in abutting relation and the ends of the wire terminate substantially in a single plane.

It is now to be noted that due to the presence of the spring loops 11, the sides 12 of the jaw B terminate at their inner ends short of the inner ends of the sides 10 of the jaw A. Consequently, when the clip is engaged with two of more sheets of paper by engaging the jaw B over the top sheet and the jaw A beneath the bottom sheet, the margins of the sheets will be clamped between the jaws throughout the co-extensive portions of the aws while, at the inner ends of the sides 12 of the jaw B, the edge portions of the sheets will remain free within the loops 11. As will be appreciated, the spring loops 11 will impart a pronounced clamping action to the jaws and since the sides of the jaws are arranged to normally rub against each other, the upward clampingforce of thejaw A will be exerted along parallel lines lying immediately within and parallel to the lines of clamping force exerted by the jaw B so that from the points where the jaws overlap, the sides of the jaws will cooperaate with the sheets with a scissors-like action. The sheets of paper will thus not only be clamped together but compressed between the jaws. This compression of the sheets will tend to cause separation of the edge portions of the sheets within the loops l1 and, as will be at once appreciated, the separated edge portions of the sheets within said loops will tend to prevent slipping or creeping of the jaws endwise from engagement with the sheets. Further,

as will be noted, the spring loops 11 may be readily grasped for manipulating the clip and by engaging a thumb with one loop and a finger with the other, the clip. may be easily applied or removed.

By applying the clip reverse or upside down, that is, with the spring loops 11 facing downwardly instead of upwardly, the clip exerts a still more powerful clamping action securely locking the papers between the sides 10 of the jaw A and the sides 12 of the jaw B, a great advantage for filing papers away permanently.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, I have shown a slight modification of the invention wherein the tip or bight of the jaw B is curved laterally upward, as shown at 13, so that the end of said jaw will provide a shoulder for bearing upwardly against the sheets of paper at a point below the end of the jaw A. Otherwise, this modified form of the invention is identical with the preferred construction.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is: V

A clip formed from a length of material looped to define a jaw having spaced sides and bent at the ends of said sides to form upstanding spring loops and thence continued and overlapped at its free end portions to form a second jaw having sides paralleling the sides of the first jaw, said loops being deflected laterally for sustaining the sides of the second jaw in a plane with the sides of the first jaw and tensioning the sides of the jaws against each other.

In testimony whereof we affix our sig natures.

' JOHN- T. DU BOIS. 

